Decorator doorknob



March 13, 1962 G. P. ABELES DECORATOR DOORKNOB Filed Aug. 17, 1959 IN V EN TOR.

GERTA P. ABELES AT ORNEY United States Patent Flee 3,024,555 DECORATOR DOORKNOB Gerta P. Abeles, 2170 th Ave., San Francisco, Calif. Filed Au". 17, 1959, Ser. No. 834,226 1 Claim. (Cl. -331) This invention relates to improvements in a decorator doorknob, and more particularly to doorknobs in which the appearance of the knob may be changed to conform to the decor of the room.

The present invention is especially suited for use in the nursery or in childrens bedrooms to add color and interest to the doors in keeping with the age and interests of the child. As the child grows older, naturally his interests will change from the nursery rhymes of the very young to the more sophisticated cowboys or space travel themes.

It is contemplated that a single basic knob will serve as a support for a variety of interchangeable decorative elements giving the occupant of the home a wide selection of different appearing doorknobs from the single unit.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide a doorknob in which a replaceable decorative element is presented to the view of the onlooker, it being possible to replace the element and change the appearance of the knob in accordance with the decor of the room.

Another object of the invention is to provide a doorknob of simple and sturdy construction which will accommodate a variety of decorative elements, and which will securely retain such elements while providing for easy and rapid release and replacement in the knob.

A further object of the invention is to provide a doorknob of the character described which is adapted to replace conventional types of doorknobs on a wide variety of well-known door latch mechanisms.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a doorknob of the character described which incorporates a simple and foolproof method of dismounting the decorative element from the rear of the knob so as to avoid having unsightly attaching devices visible from the front of the knob.

Another object of the invention is to provide a decorative doorknob structure of the character described from which the nursery ornamentation may be removed and replaced by plain color disks so as to make the doorknob adaptable for use in any room in the house.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a decorator doorknob in which ordinary pictures may be mounted under a transparent shield, thus providing for an infinite variety of colors and designs in a single doorknob unit.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds, and the new and useful features of my decorator doorknob will be fully defined in the claim attached hereto.

The preferred forms of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of a decorative doorknob constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown mounted in operative position upon a fragmentary portion of a conventional door latch mechanism;

FIGURE 2, a side elevational view of the doorknob of FIGURE 1, with portions being broken away and shown in section to reveal internal structure;

FIGURE 3, a perspective view of a modified form of the invention incorporating a decorative insert molded to simulate a face on the doorknob; and

FIGURE 4, a view partially in section of the form of doorknob illustrated in FIGURE 3.

While I have shown only the preferred-form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the doorknob of the present invention consists basically of a manually engageable knob 11 and a decorative element 12 removably secured to the visible portion of the knob, that is, secured to the side of the knob remote from the door and facing the interior of the room.

The knob 11 may be of any suitable configuration, but preferably is provided in the shape illustrated in the drawing wherein a generally flat forward face 13 is surrounded by a rounded rim 14, and the decorative element 12 is secured to the knob at the face 13.

At the rear face 16 of the knob 11, an axially extending boss 17 is formed. This boss is apertured to receive a square rod 13 which is operable with a conventional door latch mechanism (not shown). The knob is releasably secured to the rod 18 by a set screw 19 threaded in a collar 21 and bearing on the rod.

The decorative element 12 preferably is secured to the knob 11 by means of frictional engagement of a portion of the element in a recess 22 formed in the knob at the front face 13 thereof. This recess may be of any suitable con-figuration, but preferably is generally circular as illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings.

To retain the element 12 securely in the knob against accidental dislodging, while still providing for easy removal, both the recess 22 and the engaging portion of the decorative element 12 are formed with complementary tapering of their peripheral walls. The recess and element are tapered inwardly in the direction of rod 18, by a slight amount, so that, as the element is pressed into the recess, the walls will frictionally engage and hold the element firmly in place.

This holding action is enhanced if the knob 11, or the decorative element, or both, are formed of a slightly resilient material such as an acrylic plastic or the like.

Dismounting of the decorative element 12, for cleaning or replacement, is effected by pushing a slender but stiff wire (not shown) through one of several passages 23 formed in the knob 11. These passages open to the rear face 16 of the knob and are concealed from view during the normal use of the doorknob. Access to the passages is obtained by loosening the screw 19 and removing the knob from the rod 18.

One preferred form of the present invention is depicted in FIGURES l and 2 of the drawings wherein the decorative element 12 consists of a fiat picture mounted on a disk 24 of cardboard or the like, and a transparent shield 26 mountable over the picture in flush relation to the knob 11.

In this construction, the pictures may be changed easily, and a wide variety of colorful illustrations can be clipped from magazines or the like and inserted under the shield 26 to add ever-changing interest to the childs room.

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in FIG- URES 3 and 4 of the drawing wherein the decorative element 12a is of a unitary nature and consists of a member having a front surface formed to simulate a face 27 (see FIGURE 3). This face may be that of an animal, nursery rhyme character, cartoon character, etc.

Mounting of the element 12a in the recess 22 is provided by a boss 28 formed integrally with and projecting rearwardly from the face 27. This boss is circular and complementarily tapered, and is proportioned for fric- Patented Mar. 13, 1962 tional engagement in the recess 22 in the same manner as previously described in connection with the mounting of the shield 26 in the form of the invention shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2.

A more pleasing appearance is provided by extending portions of the face 27, such as the ears 29 and heard 31, outwardly from the boundary of the recess 22 and in intimate contact with the rim 14 in the manner shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawings. This breaks up the circular jointure line between the knob 11 and the face, making it less obvious to the onlooker that the face 27 is not formed integrally with the knob, but is removable therefrom.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a novel decorator doorknob structure in which a standardized knob unit may be used to support a variety of decorative elements so as to make it possible to match the doorknob to the decor of the room and to the interests of its occupant.

I claim:

A doorknob having means for interchangeably displaying pictures or the like in the front section thereof, the knob having a fiat-bottom recess in the front portion thereof, a picture contoured to fit in the recess and resting on the fiat bottom, a transparent cover for the picture clampingly engaged in the recess and having a fiat bottom hearing on the picture, and a passage in the knob and leading from the rear of the knob to the bottom of the recess whereby a pin may be introduced into the passage from the rear of the knob to bear on the rear face of the picture and to push both the picture and the cover out of the recess for selective substitution of a different picture to be clamped in position by the same cover, said knob having a hub projecting axially from the rear thereof, and said passage being arranged at an angle to the axis of the knob to clear said hub.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 273,685 Huntly Mar. 6, 1883 1,444,963 Fay Feb. 13, 1923 1,918,243 Bergaud July 18, 1933 2,138,993 Bangs Dec. 6, 1938 2,548,151 Friedman Apr. 10, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 415,045 France July 2, 1910 5,695 Great Britain Mar. 6, 1914 

